I get the feeling the real reason people want to see Zappe play is because he’s easier to like than Mac. That’s a fair point. I don’t care for Mac being like McEnroe or acting like Ben did with injuries. But Cam Newton was easy to like too and I think we all had enough of him a couple seasons ago.
Likeability by fans isn’t really a good reason to bench an established starter mid season. Especially since Zappe looked like he didn’t belong in the league in the second half of the Bears game.
Maybe he’ll get another shot at the job this summer - or maybe not. We’ll see
Totally fair post up until the claim of Mac being an established starter and Zappe looking "like he didn't belong in the league" against Chicago.
I don't think any player in Mac's position can be considered an established starter, although that is heavily contingent on how one perceives the phrase "established starter" and how one perceives Mac's situation, so I'm not sure it's worth squabbling over. No biggie.
Your bias against Zappe bugs me more, and is obvious as indicated by your constant hyperbole when discussing his second half against Chicago. I'd have a lot more patience for your takes on this QB subject if you demonstrated some self-awareness of your own apparent anti-Zappe bias and dropped the incessant, over-the-top, low-rent potshots at him.
I'm not sure I actually liked Cam that much. I found him amusing; I had a strange, difficult to describe affection for his goofiness, but I didn't find him particularly likable beyond that.
I will admit I find Zappe
really likable. Kid oozes mental toughness, resolve, character, maturity, self-assuredness. He's unassuming, soft-spoken, but direct and straightforward. I find his demeanor and personality - on and off the field - to be compelling in a way that's difficult to describe.
And I think it's worth noting that I had zero, nil, nada connection to this Zappe guy before we drafted him. Didn't love the selection at the time, didn't make a ton of sense with Mac on the roster, wasn't struck by anything I saw from his college highlights when I watched them. Some of his preseason stuff looked alright but at other times I thought he looked overwhelmed, nervous, out of his depth.
I had no idea what to expect when he came in against Green Bay. At first I thought he looked nervous, but by the second or third drive, and ultimately by the end of the game, there was something about him that had captured me; something difficult to articulate, like I said above, but palpable.
I think this underlying bias has probably crept into my analysis when looking at the QBs to some extent, although I've tried to remain as fair as possible and evaluate what I see on the field. I will say Mac played arguably the best game of his career against Minnesota. Whether or not he can sustain and build on that, we will see.
To touch on Ian's (and others') thoughts, I hope we'll get a truly open, head-to-head QB competition next summer. Zappe certainly earned every right to that opportunity with how he performed earlier this season (as a rookie with very few first team reps). If Zappe does earn the starting role next season, I want it to be because he demonstrated consistently high-level QB play, not because Mac is struggling.
What is fascinating is that Mac and Zappe are fundamentally different players in many respects, so we could have a situation where both perform at a high-level during this hypothetical QB competition next summer and force BB to make a really tough decision, weighing their strengths/weaknesses, personal development/growth, how they jive with the rest of the offensive roster, etc.
Regardless of how the situation shakes out in New England, and whether or not Zappe ends up starting for the Pats at some point in the future, I can say the guy has won over a big fan in me and I'll be rooting for him to start and have success in the NFL. I certainly hope it's with the Pats because it'd be bittersweet to see him playing elsewhere, but that outcome likely means Mac is doing good stuff, so it's give-take, I guess.
All of this said, now watch them go and acquire Jimmy G this offseason and roll with him, lol. Funnily enough, and perhaps fittingly, Jimmy strikes me as a blend between Mac's stature and Zappe's play-style. (I don't actually think this scenario is likely for salary cap reasons. I'm sure BB would rather have Mac or Zappe starting on a rookie contract. But, we'll see ... stranger things and all that).
